Religion is one of the most powerful and enduring forces in human life. It gives meaning and purpose to existence, provides comfort and guidance in times of stress, serves as a form of social control, promotes psychological and physical well-being, encourages and sometimes motivates people to work for positive social change, and can give an individual a sense of belonging to a larger community. Religions can be found in every part of the world and serve a variety of purposes. They provide a framework for moral conduct and moral judgment, a basis for spiritual healing, and a basis for the construction of social institutions such as schools, hospitals, and charities. Many of these religions also contribute to cultural activities such as music and architecture.
Religions are complex and difficult to define. Early attempts at definitions often focused on a specific aspect of religion, such as belief in a divine power or the concept of heaven and hell. However, this approach can lead to an overly limited conception of religion, and the classification of different beliefs as members of the same genus, rather than the several species that they are.
A more recent approach, which has been influential in sociology, is to view religion as a system of values that a group or individual subscribes to and a set of practices related to those values. This approach is known as the “symbolic interactionist” view, and it has a number of advantages over earlier approaches. It allows us to recognize that there are some things that all religions have in common. These include:
The symbolic interactionist approach also allows us to distinguish between the various forms of religious experience. For example, some religious experiences may be emotionally intense, and can involve crying, laughing, screaming, trancelike states, and feelings of oneness with those around you. Other experiences, such as religious rituals and ceremonies, are usually not emotionally intense but can be deeply moving. They can be symbolic, evoking emotions such as fear or joy, and are designed to help participants feel connected with the universe and with each other.
In addition, the symbolic interactionist view permits the analysis of how religious behavior affects the way that individuals think and feel. This has led to the development of a number of cognitive theories of religion, which have in turn informed sociological and other studies of religion. These theories are controversial, but there is a growing consensus that the psychological and social dimensions of religion should be considered together. They suggest that religions are more than just beliefs about God or a higher power; they are ways of valuing the world and oneself, and of coping with the uncertainty and frustration of living in an uncertain and unpredictable world. These are fundamental issues that will not disappear despite the decline of traditional religions. They can only be addressed through the establishment of a world order that will allow for freedom of religion, respect for the rights of all humans, and peace in this century and beyond.